You mentioned that your friend passed a school bus 14 years ago and that this is the citation that he is going to court for, that and the failure to appear or take care of the violation in any way. The usual penalty in Pennsylvania for passing a stopped school bus with its lights flashing a $100 fine, an automatic 60 day suspension of your driver's license and 5 points on the person’s driving record.

Since your friend failed to take care of this ticket he will need to find out at the court house what penalties he could be facing. Likely the fine or administrative fees surrounding this old citation will have grown larger over the years.

Pennsylvania Statute 1533 (Under Chapter 75, the motor vehicle title of PA statutes) titled Suspension of operating privilege for failure to respond to citation is why his license was probably suspended for. Subsection (a) states that for violations within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania the PA DMV shall suspend the operating privilege of any person who has failed to respond to a citation or summons to appear before an issuing authority or a court of competent jurisdiction of this Commonwealth for any violation of this title, other than parking, or who has failed to pay any fine or costs imposed by an issuing authority or such courts for violation of this title, other than parking, upon being duly notified by an issuing authority or a court of this Commonwealth.

Subsection (d) states that the period of suspension shall continue until such person shall respond to the citation, summons or writ, as the case may be, and pay all fines and penalties imposed or enter into an agreement to make installment payments for the fines and penalties imposed provided that the suspension may be reimposed by the department if the defendant fails to make regular installment payments and, if applicable, pay the fee prescribed in section 1960 (relating to reinstatement of operating privilege or vehicle registration).

It appears that he may be going to court for this 1994 citation as well as being found driving without a license which more than likely was actually being found driving with a suspended license since he failed to appear for this ticket back then and thus his driver’s license was suspended indefinitely.

Section 1543 discusses those that are caught driving with a suspended license. Subsection (a) notes that any person who drives a motor vehicle on any highway or traffic way of this Commonwealth after the commencement of a suspension, revocation or cancellation of the operating privilege and before the operating privilege has been restored is guilty of a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of $200.

Subsection (c) states that if the department's records show that the person was under suspension, recall or cancellation on the date of violation, and had not been restored, the department shall suspend the person's operating privilege for an additional one-year period.

Normally we would recommend that your friend contact the court before the court date to find out what penalties he may be facing, however since his court date is so close he now will probably need to just appear in court and find out from the judge what penalties he will receive for ignoring this citation for 14 years. If he is able to get his license and driving privileges reinstated after his court date and taking care of this school bus citation then he can contact us for a car insurance quote.